A Snake with a Temper: Revival
by We-are-Wonderlanders
Summary: After Temper comes back to G.I. Joe, it seems everything is winding down. Even in war filled world. But something is going on behind her back. Betrayal doesn't come from your enemies. And this is only the start.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the sequel to A Snake with a Temper. It is better to be reading this on your phone. For some reason, anything I put in bold will not show up on the desktop format. Sorry, I have no control over this.**

 **Disclaimer, I own nothing but my OC's and the plot that is not taken from the movies/show/comics. If I did, Snake Eyes' face would be revealed and Scarlett/Snake Eyes would definitely be a thing. And his costume in the first movie wouldn't have looked so effing weird.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Secrets are No Fun

"Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen anything more pitiful in my life," Temper commented. The blonde watched the grunts as Snake Eyes hurled them over his shoulder into a wall.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Scarlett questioned. "I mean, I know you two sleep in the same room, and whatever you do in there is your business-"

"Please get to the point, Red," Temper interjected, feeling heat rise to her cheeks at the thoughts Scarlett had jumped to.

"From my point of view, looking at your relationship, it looks like he's frustrated. And I always see it... when he's around you. Especially a few a days after you got back from the clans."

 _He does seem to be rather agitated as of late_ , Temper thought.

"Thank you for bringing it up," Temper said, "but everything's fine."

 _He's hiding something._

* * *

Heavy breaths escaped her lungs and blood rushed through her head. A pinching feeling formed in her palms after a while and her wrists ached. Sweat rolled from all parts of her body to her head, then to the floor. Slowly she came down from the handstand and stood up. It did little to stop the cold feeling that rushed down Temper's body as blood began to surge back through her. A buzzing filled her head, which she reveled in. You could say that it was an accomplishment to her; to feel so light headed that you couldn't think of any of the troubles around you.

"Temp, you done? It's dinner time!" Alyssa said from behind her. Temper looked back to see the brunette she grew fond of since their first meeting.

"I'll be there in a minute," Temper said.

"Just don't let that minute become half an hour!" Alyssa smiled and raced off to the mess hall.

All through the encounter, Temper couldn't bring herself to smile. When she left the clan, Alyssa asked if she could join her. At first she was hesitant, but Alyssa broke her with a sad face that got Temper every time. 'Your children are going to get everything they ask of you,' Alyssa would say. Temper would chuckle and agree. Temper brought her here and she couldn't help but feel bad for taking her away from her family.

Temper took a deep breath in and let it out. Finally, she left for the mess hall, gathering her water bottle and towel. However, she did not choose to be around her teammates tonight and didn't feel like eating. Instead, she opted for her room. Well, her and Snake Eyes' room ever since she got back from her clan. Of course, Snake Eyes was there, but that's not what surprised her. What surprised her was that he immediately shut his laptop when she entered the room.

 **How was meditation?** he signed to her.

"Good," she told him. She threw the towel and water bottle to the bed and approached him slowly while he got up from his seat. When he turned, he saw her actions.

Looking her up and down he signed, **I don't think sweat is a product of meditation.**

"Depends on how you meditate," she said quickly. He saw right through her, she was on defense.

 **Something wrong?** he questioned.

She gave him a small smile to reassure him and answered, "No. I'm ready take a shower, care to join me?"

Snake Eyes chuckled silently and signed, **No, I have to finish up a report for Hawk.**

"Well don't let me stop you, I just have to gather my clothes. Please, finish."

 **A confidential report.**

"I can't be trusted to not look at your confidential report?"

 **Do you really want me to answer that?**

Temper smirked and said, "No." Snake Eyes watched as she gathered her usual sleepwear and fled to the bathroom.

She made a few key decisions. She didn't lock the door, she made sure to pull the shower curtain loud enough to hear over the running water, and she made sure to shower quickly.

 _Maybe I shouldn't pry_ , she thought to herself. _It's a confidential report. Everybody's had to do those. I've had plenty myself... but when was the last time that he actually cared if I saw his? Hell, we proof-read each other's reports. So why is he hiding his now?_

That was when she made her move. Letting the last of the soap go down the drain she quietly slipped out of the shower, not turning off the water. Slowing her heartbeat, she slipped the towel off the rack and wrapped it around herself. She stepped to the door with light feet, still hearing the click of keys coming from the other side. If she was going to do this, it would have to be quick. She took a hold of the knob and breathed, preparing herself.

Quickly, she turned the knob and burst through the door. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw he was on a new page with the words written, _It could be a threat worse than Cobra, without the proper approach they will..._ That was all she could read before Snake Eyes exited out of the document.

"I almost forgot this," she said, opening a drawer of the dresser and pulling out one of his shirts. The moment she entered the bathroom questions flooded her mind. _How could there be a threat worse than Cobra?_

Swallowing back the fear that started rising, she cleared her mind and put clothes on.

When she faced him outside the bathroom, she couldn't bring herself to ask him what the document meant.

"You're weeding the grunts tomorrow, right?" she asked.

Snake Eyes nodded his head and signed, **Scarlett hasn't been cleared by Doc yet so Hawk asked me if I could take over for today.**

"Hawk's been asking you to do a lot of things recently," Temper commented, slipping under the covers.

 **Hawk asked me specifically not to show you anything, I'm just following orders. If you have a problem, take it up with him,** Snake Eyes signed, turning off the light and then slipping under the covers as well.

"Maybe I will," she stated.

 **I'd rather not do this with you.** Even in the dark her eyes adjusted to follow the movement of his hands.

"Who said you had to?"

 **Confidentiality means that you don't know about it. If you question anything, that leads to suspicion. Suspicion leads to more questions and those questions means the discovery of all of the fraternization rules that are about to be broken.**

"About to be broken?" she questioned. She soon realized what he was getting at when she saw a hint of a smirk through the dark and felt his lips over her own.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Unless They're Shared with Everyone

"Tempie, I think you forgot something," Ana said. Temper face palmed and groaned.

"I am so sorry!" Temper apologized. "I totally forgot."

"I think I got that after the first couple of days where you didn't come and talk to me."

"How long has it been since I said I'd come and talk to you?" Temper questioned. _Surely it couldn't have been more than a few days_ , she thought.

"About a week and a half," Ana told her.

 _Shit_.

"Okay then, let's talk now," Temper suggested. Ana nodded and the pair headed to Duke's room, Ana's current residence.

"Duke is in the rec room with Ripcord so he won't be around for awhile," Ana said. Temper took that as permission to sit on the bed. Ana followed suit and sat across from her. "How are you and Snake Eyes?"

"Good," Temper replied.

"Is it getting serious?"

"Is it something you need to know?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What did you want to talk about?" Temper urged.

"What your mother told you, and your relationship with Snake Eyes. Which one do you want to start with?"

"Neither," Temper stated.

"Let's start with you and Snake Eyes."

"Do we _need_ to talk about this?"

"Yes. I understand that you prefer to keep things private, and so does he, but I am your sister."

"Not by blood," Temper pointed out.

"Since when does blood matter to you? If you want, we could start the discussion about your mom."

Temper paled at the thought, "Let's start with Snake Eyes." Ana smirked in the small victory.

"I thought so. Have you slept together?"

"Yes," Temper mumbled, blood rushing to her cheeks.

"C'mon Temper, I know you. Don't start being a prude now."

"Yes," Temper repeated, louder than the first time.

"Do you see yourself having kids with him?"

"What kind of a question is that?!"

"A serious one. Temper, there are two types of guys in this world, the ones you date and the ones you don't. The ones you date should be people who you see yourself marrying. If you don't see yourself marrying them, what's the point in dating them? You'll just waste your time. So, I'll ask again. Do you see yourself having kids with him? Marrying him? Living with him after the military?"

"Yes," Temper admitted, looking to the ground. "I can't speak for him on the matter, but I see it."

"Is there something wrong?" Ana questioned.

"I think he's hiding something from me," Temper told her.

"Temper," Ana started, smirking, "you are both bound to have your secrets."

"I can see that, looking at you and Duke. Have you even told him about us? About Tommy? Eugene?"

"I've told him that he doesn't know everything about me. I'm just finding the right time to tell him everything. Besides, you're not innocent either."

"I don't just want to hide it from him, I want to hide it from myself."

"That is going to come back to bite you."

"I know," Temper groaned. "What do I do about him? Do I confront him and ask what he's hiding?"

"No! Temper, unless you're willing to spill everything about yourself, you have no right to accuse him of hiding something from you."

"But I _know_ he's hiding something."

"Temper, don't. Now, onto the harder stuff. What did your mother say to you when you left?"

Temper took a deep breath and spoke, "Earlier in the day, I told Alyssa I was leaving and she insisted she join me. I consented and after dinner, I told my mother. She didn't take it well and told me that she wouldn't let me leave."

"And?"

"And... she told me that she was going to give me her title."

"You've known that since you were 6 years old. What's so big about it now?" Ana asked.

"She said she wanted to retire, for me to take the reins, while she helps out until she's satisfied that I can do it on my own."

"And you don't want the title anymore?" Ana questioned.

"No! At least, not yet. She tried to get me to stay by telling me all these things she thought I wanted to hear. I stormed out, I got my bags, and I left."

"Have you heard anything from the clans?"

"No. You?"

"Nothing."

"Is that all?" Temper questioned.

"Yes," Ana said, rolling her eyes, "you can leave now."

"Thank you, for helping me," Temper said before exiting the room.

She was almost late to her lunch meeting with Hawk, which consisted of a conversation of where each new recruit should be placed based on their skill set. She considered asking Hawk why she couldn't see Snake Eyes' report, but thought against it. She didn't want to add fuel to the fire.

Next, she suffered through a class that she and Snake Eyes trained. When the class ended, they both walked to their room in silence. _Well, this isn't awkward at all_ , she thought.

Snake Eyes took the first shower, then Temper. When she got out, Snake Eyes was sitting on the bed reading through some files.

Temper crawled onto the bed, grabbed the file out of his hand, and straddled his lap. She let the file drop to the floor and looked him in eye. "Tell me exactly what's wrong."

 **I want to trust you, but I don't feel like you trust me.**

"Why would you think that I don't trust you?"

 **Confidential files should stay confidential. Hawk allows for us to read each other's files because most of the reports are missions we've done together. Anything else is just a burden we share so we don't have to carry it all ourselves. I was told not to share any of the file contents with you. And I didn't want you to know about anything in the file.**

"Why?" she asked.

 **What did you see?**

"I saw that there could potentially be a new threat."

 **It's being taken care of.**

"I can help," she offered.

 **It's for the best that you don't.**

"Why?" she urged.

 **Do you trust me?**

"Of course I do."

 **Then believe me when I say, when you find out, you won't like it. It's for the best.**

Temper looked down at her hands which were gently placed onto his stomach. She leaned towards him and he embraced her.

"Promise me everything will be okay?" she whispered into the crook of his neck.

Snake Eyes slipped one hand under the hem of her- his- shirt and traced the word 'promise' onto her back, knowing that it may not be a promise he could keep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Questionable Missions

Ana and Temper sat patiently in Hawk's room, or at least, Ana did. Temper kept drumming out an irregular beat with her fingernails and looking around the room.

"When are we going to get started?" Temper blurted out.

Hawk looked up from his file long enough to give her a look that a parent gives their kids when they've done something wrong. Temper shrunk a little in her chair and Hawk went back to reading over his files.

After a few minutes he closed the file and took two more out of his desk. He handed each of them a file.

"This mission has been given to us by my higher ups. This is absolutely classified, nothing about this mission is to reach anybody outside of this room. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the two replied in unison.

"Good. Everything you need is in the file. Dismissed."

Ana and Temper exited the room to go pack their bags and met in the hangar at the specified time. They boarded the plane and secured their bags.

"No Ace or Wild Bill?" Temper questioned.

"We're flying ourselves," Ana told her, getting into the pilot's seat. "Buckle up!"

Temper did as told and read through the file once more. _Take out five black market dealers,_ she thought. _Besides the obvious, why are we even going after them?_

"Ana, doesn't the FBI take care of black market affairs?" Temper questioned.

"For the most part," Ana replied. "Look, just pay attention to the job that's been given and we'll be in and out before you know it."

* * *

 **Somewhere in Springfield, Missouri...**

Temper stood at the window of an apartment building. The man who kindly opened the door for her was taking a nap on the couch, courtesy of a chloroform rag. She opened the grimy window and set up her sniper rifle to point at the building across from her.

When she was done, she looked back to the long black case, seemingly empty after she took the gun and clips out. But she knew the truth. Looking to the nearest clock she saw that she still had a few minutes before she had to get to work. Temper unlatched a plastic sheet from the top of the case and carefully set it on top of the foam filling, revealing two sheathed katanas. She reached to grab the first one at the top of the sheath and slowly pushed the blade out with her thumb until the Arashikage symbol could be seen. _Snake Eyes,_ she thought.

Temper pushed the blade back in and latched the plastic sheet back to the case.

*Temper, are we good to go?* Ana asked through her earpiece.

"We are good to go," Temper replied, positioning herself with the rifle.

Five people entered the room, all wearing business suits. They talked amongst each other and took out papers from their briefcases.

"I thought we were getting information from black market dealers? They look like corporate CEOs."

*Everybody's capable of being a criminal, Temper. The room is locked, start.*

Temper swallowed back her doubt and started pulling the trigger. The first, she was off by an inch but still hit her target; the second, guilt ebbed away; the third, guilt had vanished; the fourth, she felt nothing; the fifth, nothing.

She took in a deep breath and spoke, "It's done."

*Good work, Tempie.*

Ana entered the room and gathered the paper into one briefcase. She left the room quickly and Temper started to pack up. They met at the nearest airport and headed back to base.

* * *

 **Back in the Pit...**

Snake Eyes now sat in Hawk's office.

 **I would like to have access to Temper's files,** Snake Eyes signed.

"Have you found any connection linking her to them in the matter?"

 **No, but-**

"But nothing," Hawk interrupted, "you won't find anything in there."

Snake Eyes nodded and left.

Later that day, Snake Eyes walked into his room with a file in hand. It took some time getting this file. First, he tried getting the file off of the computer database, but he had to ask Breaker who couldn't get through encryption. Then he went to Scarlett. She had to pull a few strings to get him the key to the basement. He had to dig through the basement by himself and finally found what he was looking for. When he opened the file he was certainly disappointed in the lack of information.

 **Name: _Classified_**

 **Code Name: _Temper_**

 **Immediate Family: _Classified_**

 **Birthplace: _Classified_**

 **Current Residence: _The Pit_**

 **Specialties: _Classified_**

 **Emergency Contact: _None_**

 **Enlistment Time: _Four Years_**

 **Disabilities: _None_**

 **Education: _Classified_**

 **Training: _Classified_**

That was the only page in the file. When he looked at the back there was nothing. What caught his eye was a small 'W' in the corner of the file. He took the page out of the file and went to the bathroom. Putting the file under running water, a note appeared. _Look for Colonel Abernathy_.

Snake Eyes walked through the halls with purpose. When he came to the place he needed to be, he stopped and peered around the corner. Snake watched until Hawk exited his office, then made his move. Unlocking the door he entered and started searching. He quickly combed through the files in the previously locked drawer of the left side of the desk and moved on to the right side. While going through the files he saw papers at the bottom of the drawer. Reaching down he pulled them out and saw the missing papers from Temper's files.

After reaching the privacy of his room he started to read.

 _I have come to the conclusion that when Colonel Abernathy becomes a general he will have everything about this girl wiped out so I'm writing this to make sure people know at least some of the truth. Though I see the value of the girl's skill, her past is something that can not be forgotten. Her relations with both Cobra and her clan are something to be wary of. Her hand to hand abilities are something I have only seen from one person, and from the few times that I have been in Japan. This girl was born in Tokyo, she was raised and trained in Japan. I can not guarantee that she can be trusted, not yet. I never trusted Elvira, I'm sure that soon enough the girl will become a part of G.I. Joe. That is why I am doing this. I don't believe wiping out all information on her is wise, but I understand the need to protect her. Especially knowing the power she will soon hold and the people that are trying to kill her. She is too young for this._

Snake Eyes moved to the next page that was in the same handwriting as the note.

 **Name: _Temperance Cate Ray_**

 **Code Name: _Temper_**

 **Immediate Family: _Elvira,_ _Kurt_ _,_ _Christine_ _,_ _Walter_ _,_ _Elsie_ _,_ _Nathaniel_ _, Barbara, Scott, Lori, Lance, Janice, Ada, Eric, Diana, Adam_**

 **Birthplace: Tokyo**

 **Current Residence: _Tokyo_**

 **Specialties: _Infantry, Hand to Hand, Marksmanship_**

 **Emergency Contact: None**

 **Enlistment Time: Not Yet Eligible**

 **Disabilities: _None_**

 **Education: _Unknown_**

 **Training: _Kowarenai, Arashikage, Asuri_**

 _Trained by the top three clans,_ Snake Eyes noted. He put the papers into a drawer on his side of the desk. When Temper moved in they decided to split the drawers, Temper had one side and he had the other. _Temper,_ he thought to himself, _she should be here soon._ He took a shower and came out to see Temper back from her mission. She was setting her rifle case down along with the cleaning supplies.

 **Take a shower,** he signed to her. She nodded, and gathered her things. As she past him he noticed how out of it she was.

She took her shower and he cleaned up the room and her rifle, putting her case under her side of the bed, stacking papers so they weren't strewn about the room.

When Temper came out of the bathroom the two took the newly cleaned and folded sheets off the dresser and made the bed. Temper met him at the foot of the bed.

 **Is something wrong?** he questioned.

"The mission, there was something about it that didn't feel right," she told him.

 **Was it a confidential mission?**

"Yes, but-"

 **I don't want to get into trouble and I don't want you to get into trouble.**

"Snake Eyes, please. I have to-"

 **You don't have to do anything, just forget about it.**

"I don't think I can easily forget about this one. It just wasn't-"

 **Temper, stop.**

Temper bit her lip and looked down. Tears welled in her eyes. "Something just wasn't right," she whispered. Snake Eyes took her into his arms. Looking at the desk, he couldn't help but think of the words written on the note.

He mentally promised her, _I will protect you_. Another promise he won't be able to keep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 5: The Perfect Soldier

Snake Eyes came through the bedroom door and saw Temper sitting on the bed.

 **Scarlett and Ripcord left** , he signed to her.

"I know. I said my goodbyes yesterday," she told him.

 **Do you want to talk about it?** he questioned.

"Not really," she said, looking at her hands.

 **You have to speak to me at some point.**

Temper looked up at him glaringly and said, "I talked to her early this week. For a second I was so happy for her, she had something I'll never get. And then, it came crashing down around us."

 **What are you talking about? What can you never get?** he asked, coming around the edge of the bed to be closer to her. He came up onto the bed and held both her cheeks in his hands.

"The truth," she whispered, reaching up and taking his hand off of her.

 **Temper** , he signed. He watched her throw her legs over the edge of the bed and he moved himself in between her legs in hope of keeping her in place.

Temper looked down to her hands on his chest, running through the scenarios in her head and trying to decide if it was best to tell him. "I don't want anything to get between us. And you might be keeping something from me… I don't want to keep some things from you."

 **You can tell me anything** , he assured her.

"I'm not so sure about this. And if you decide that this is too much, I can understand that. I was sixteen and I guess you could say I was from a high class family in Japan. Legally, old enough to marry." She could feel him tense and his pulse rise. "He was my sword brother and also from a high class family. At the same time, things… happened." Tears swelled in her eyes. A reminder of the pain she felt from the betrayal grasped her heart. "My sister had given birth to a baby girl. I stood outside her room for two hours trying to talk her out of killing herself. I got the child, and she disappeared. I convinced my sword brother to take the role of the father and we both, legally, became her parents. Even after we divorced, her legitimacy is still in tact and she is safe from being outcasted."

 **What's her name?** he signed.

Temper let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and said, "Yuki. It's what my mother wanted to name me, but she waived that right to my father and I was named Temperance. Yuki means snow, happiness, and hope. My mother loved the name and when she saw my hair it felt all too fitting a name."

 **Thank you for telling me.**

"Right," she said, wiping her tears from her face. Just when he thought that everything was going to go smoothly for the rest of the night she continued speaking, "If you only gave me the same courtesy." She removed herself from the bed and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later he heard the shower turn on.

He started to change and left the room before she finished her shower.

No one was in the sparring room after dinner time so he went there. Unafraid of someone coming through the room, he took off his mask and began to go through his katas.

When Hawk entered the room, he was vigorously hitting a punching bag.

"Snake Eyes," Hawk said, getting his attention.

He stopped but didn't turn to look at his general.

"How has Temper been lately?" Hawk asked.

 **Noncompliant** , he answered.

"Fix it," Hawk ordered.

 **It won't be easy** , he signed.

"I didn't say it would be. Tell her what she needs to hear."

 **What she needs is to be told the truth.**

"What she needs is to be protected. She can hate us later, but she will know nothing of what is going on."

Snake Eyes clenched his hands by his side. He nodded.

"You're a good soldier," Hawk said and left, leaving Snake Eyes standing there.

In their room, Temper gathered the courage to leave the bathroom only to find the room empty. She breathed a sigh of relief, then felt guilty when she looked at the time. It was almost midnight.

"Where he could be so late at night?" she murmured. Still in her towel, she rolled onto the bed and formed an image in her head. An image of Snake Eyes telling her the truth.

"Something doesn't feel right," she whispered, glancing to her phone on the nightstand. She still hadn't received a reply by the time she fell asleep.

" _Are you sure?" he asked, watching her pack._

" _Not really, but after the past few years the Soft Master has done his best to protect me. I want to repay him."_

" _This doesn't have anything to do with-"_

" _Jason!" she whispered harshly._

" _I still don't understand how the Soft Master could have asked you to go along with that criminal. Rumor is, Tomisaburo's sword brother still trains with the Arashikage. Something isn't right," Jason said._

" _Then I'll find out what's going on," she told him._

" _Maybe it's best if you stay here and do what your mother says," he tried._

" _Jason," she said, looking him in the eyes, "I'm not going to marry you." He nodded his head solemnly and looked to the ground._

" _Your mother won't let you back in," Jason reminded her._

" _I'll convince her," Temper said._

" _It's a rising terrorist organization," Jason retorted._

" _It will be a threat to everyone, even the clans. I'll trade my services for the clan's safety."_

Snake Eyes walked in to see Temper laying on the bed in nothing but a towel. He had to snap himself out of his thoughts and remember the situation he was in with her at the moment, rather than the situation he wanted to be in with her. After a quick shower he laid beside her and gathered her in his arms, making sure the towel stayed in place.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Perfect Soldier

Snake Eyes came through the bedroom door and saw Temper sitting on the bed.

 **Scarlett and Ripcord left** , he signed to her.

"I know. I said my goodbyes yesterday," she told him.

 **Do you want to talk about it?** he questioned.

"Not really," she said, looking at her hands.

 **You have to speak to me at some point.**

Temper looked up at him glaringly and said, "I talked to her early this week. For a second I was so happy for her, she had something I'll never get. And then, it came crashing down around us."

 **What are you talking about? What can you never get?** he asked, coming around the edge of the bed to be closer to her. He came up onto the bed and held both her cheeks in his hands.

"The truth," she whispered, reaching up and taking his hand off of her.

 **Temper** , he signed. He watched her throw her legs over the edge of the bed and he moved himself in between her legs in hope of keeping her in place.

Temper looked down to her hands on his chest, running through the scenarios in her head and trying to decide if it was best to tell him. "I don't want anything to get between us. And you might be keeping something from me… I don't want to keep some things from you."

 **You can tell me anything** , he assured her.

"I'm not so sure about this. And if you decide that this is too much, I can understand that. I was sixteen and I guess you could say I was from a high class family in Japan. Legally, old enough to marry." She could feel him tense and hear his pulse rise. "He was my sworn brother and also from a high class family. At the same time, things… happened." Tears swelled in her eyes. A reminder of the pain she felt from the betrayal grasped her heart. "My sister had given birth to a baby girl. I stood outside her room for two hours trying to talk her out of killing herself. I got the child, and she disappeared. I convinced my sworn brother to take the role of the father and we both, legally, became her parents. Even after we divorced, her legitimacy is still in tact and she is safe from being outcasted."

 **What's her name?** he signed.

Temper let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and said, "Yuki. It's what my mother wanted to name me, but she waived that right to my father and I was named Temperance. Yuki means snow, happiness, and hope. My mother loved the name and when she saw my hair, it felt all too fitting a name."

 **Thank you for telling me.**

"Right," she said, wiping her tears from her face. Just when he thought that everything was going to go smoothly for the rest of the night she continued speaking, "If you only gave me the same courtesy." She removed herself from the bed and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later he heard the shower turn on.

He started to change and left the room before she finished her shower.

No one was in the sparring room after dinner time so he went there. Unafraid of someone coming through the room, he took off his mask and began to go through his katas.

When Hawk entered the room, he was vigorously hitting a punching bag.

"Snake Eyes," Hawk said, getting his attention.

He stopped but didn't turn to look at his general.

"How has Temper been lately?" Hawk asked.

 **Noncompliant** , he answered.

"Fix it," Hawk ordered.

 **It won't be easy** , he signed.

"I didn't say it would be. Tell her what she needs to hear."

 **What she needs is to be told the truth.**

"What she needs is to be protected. She can hate us later, but she will know nothing of what is going on."

Snake Eyes clenched his hands by his side. He nodded.

"You're a good soldier," Hawk said and left, leaving Snake Eyes standing there.

In their room, Temper gathered the courage to leave the bathroom only to find the room empty. She breathed a sigh of relief, then felt guilty when she looked at the time. It was almost midnight.

"Where he could be so late at night?" she murmured. Still in her towel, she rolled onto the bed and formed an image in her head. An image of Snake Eyes telling her the truth. Everyone was happy with Scarlett and Ripcord still around. Everything was perfect.

"Something doesn't feel right," she whispered, glancing to her phone on the nightstand. She still hadn't received a reply by the time she fell asleep.

" _Are you sure?" he asked, watching her pack._

" _Not really, but after the past few years the Soft Master has done his best to protect me. I want to repay him."_

" _This doesn't have anything to do with-"_

" _Jason!" she whispered harshly._

" _I still don't understand how the Soft Master could have asked you to go along with that criminal. Rumor is, Tomisaburo's sworn brother still trains with the Arashikage. Something isn't right," Jason said._

" _Then I'll find out what's going on," she told him, not telling him all that she knew._

" _Maybe it's best if you stay here and do what your mother says," he tried._

" _Jason," she said, looking him in the eyes, "I'm not going to marry you." He nodded his head solemnly and looked to the ground._

" _Your mother won't let you back in," Jason reminded her._

" _I'll convince her," Temper said._

" _It's a rising terrorist organization," Jason retorted._

" _It will be a threat to everyone, even the clans. I'll trade my services for the clan's safety."_

Snake Eyes walked in to see Temper laying on the bed in nothing but a towel. He had to snap himself out of his thoughts and remember the situation he was in with her at the moment, rather than the situation he wanted to be in with her. After a quick shower he laid beside her and gathered her in his arms, making sure the towel stayed in place.


End file.
